There has been an ongoing initiative within the fitness equipment industry to establish standards for capturing and storing data generated by electronic components attached to, integrated within or communicating with exercise equipment. For example, with respect to cardiovascular training equipment, manufacturers have adopted a programming protocol known as C-SAFE (Appendix A) in an effort to establish an industry-wide standard. The C-SAFE protocol captures various types of data regarding the operation and utilization of the equipment as outlined in the attached Appendix A. Unfortunately, it has proven to be very impractical and expensive to transfer, compile and apply such data. In addition, in order for such equipment data to be meaningful, it must be integrated with other data including human, operational, and logistical data and various other forms of information and programming content.
Systems currently exist that transfer exercise equipment data back to a computer storage server that then permits the data to be retrieved via the Internet or through other methods. For example, certain approaches connect wires from the exercise unit to a computer. Other approaches provide for a wireless transmission of the data from the exercise unit to a computer. In each case, however, the transmission means are cumbersome, unreliable or prohibitively expensive for mass scale deployment. In addition, there are no back-end integration capacities or methods that integrate the baseline equipment data into practical applications.
There are also systems attached to exercise equipment that receive wireless transmission of audio entertainment that permit users to selectively listen to different entertainment options. These systems consist of a basic receiver chip that can receive transmission at different frequency levels such 900 megahertz or 2.4 gigahertz. Some companies, such as CardioTheater, have inserted programmable chips into such receivers in order to have the capacity to communicate with C-SAFE compliant exercise units. Such receivers, however, typically do not have the capacity of communicating the C-SAFE data or its own data back to a central computer. In addition, certain companies, such as CardioTheater, provide personal viewing entertainment screens that attach to and can communicate with C-SAFE compliant exercise units.
In addition, certain companies, such as Polar, have built into cardiovascular training equipment units a receiver chip that can receive communications from a wireless heart rate strap that monitors the heart rate of an individual as he or she exercises on the unit. The user's heart rate is typically displayed on a digital monitor incorporated into the exercise unit.
Thus, there have been many efforts to capture and display data relating to equipment, human and entertainment information gathered while individuals exercise on electronically integrated exercise units. In addition, there have been efforts to deliver elective entertainment programming options to individuals as they exercise on cardiovascular training units. There exists a substantial need, however, to collect, transfer and apply such information for practical applications in an efficient and reliable manner.